Chapter 228: The Afternoon at Steam Furnace and Star Track Corridor

Within the illusory Quantum Space of Steam Furnace, faint emerald Stellar Energy patterns glided slowly across the ground, while the air hummed with a subtle warmth, a fusion of metal and raw energy.

Clack, clack.

Dannika sat perched atop a massive gear like a squirrel clutching a nut, one bag of puffed potato chips clutched tightly in her arms. Her bare feet dangled, swinging idly. She munched absently, glancing up every now and then at the twelve Gear Guardians standing motionless like wooden statues.

After a moment, she set the bag down, crumbs clinging to her lips.

"Tian Dao," she asked, voice muffled, "is three percent of the Stellar Energy crystals for forging fees... really that high?"

Tian Dao, meanwhile, waited for the figure soon to arrive within the Steam Furnace’s Quantum Space. He offered his reply with calm precision.

"Dannika, in this world, many things cannot be measured by price. What they seek from Will isn’t cost—it’s whether they’ve paid enough to receive what they desire. As for the process? It doesn’t matter."

Dannika tilted her head, clearly puzzled.

Tian Dao didn’t expect her to understand.

Not long after, a shrill, tearing crack split the air.

The entrance to Steam Furnace parted—and Liam stepped through alone.

He locked eyes with Tian Dao, voice low and grave. “Speak. Why did Will summon me here, alone? What are you planning?”

Facing Liam’s stormy expression and rigid posture, Tian Dao offered a faint, unreadable smile. Then, he raised three fingers.

“Three percent. If the Steam Branch agrees to back my book, then every future forging fee at Steam Furnace will see you take three percent.”

Liam froze. Then, a cold laugh escaped him—mocking, sharp. “Tian Dao Siming. You dare trade our resources with us? Do you think I’m some child?”

Tian Dao didn’t argue.

“You have five minutes to decide.”

Liam’s brow furrowed. He wasn’t sure why Tian Dao had the audacity to make such a proposal.

He didn’t know what Tian Dao was doing. But he sensed—intuitively—that whatever was unfolding now might not be a threat to the Steam Branch. In fact, it might even be beneficial.

After all, the Central Council had pushed repeatedly for the Twelve Brass Nobles to open Steam Furnace’s forging rights—so more Stellar Envoys across the New Federation could access stronger weapons.

Steam Furnace’s purpose was clear: to forge, awaken, and amplify the Machine Soul within weapons—enhancing their power without altering their base material.

Though the enhancement capped at three stages and only worked on Catastrophe-level or lower gear, for the vast majority of Stellar Envoys—especially Mechanical ones—it remained an irreplaceable temptation.

Under the Twelve Brass Nobles’ control, forging was not only expensive, but access depended entirely on their whims.

Beyond the base fee, envoys routinely paid enormous hidden bribes—entirely pocketed by the Nobles.

Only the Grand Councilor’s decree from fifty years ago had protected them from total collapse.

Otherwise, long before Tian Dao ever showed up, Liam—already weary from years of negotiating with arrogant nobles—might have already taken matters into his own hands.

He’d have taught them what true Justice from the Stellar Envoy Association really felt like.

Still, despite the flicker of temptation, Liam didn’t agree immediately.

“Three percent? Too little. At minimum, seven percent. We’re not only maintaining Steam Furnace—we’re also covering you, the one who just committed a crime of epic proportions. That’s no small burden.”

Tian Dao didn’t flinch. He simply dismissed the lie.

“A crime of epic proportions? I doubt it.” He smiled faintly. “The Grand Councilor is far more flexible than you imagine—especially when the outcome is excellent.”

Liam fell silent.

He’d fought beside the Grand Councilor fifty years ago. He knew the man’s temper.

And Tian Dao—only eighteen—had already left even him stunned by his talent and potential.

Not to mention, the Grand Councilor had a well-known fondness for prodigies.

Realizing the source of Tian Dao’s confidence, Liam weighed the risks and rewards.

Then, he made his decision.

“Fine. Let’s talk. But seven percent is the absolute floor.”

“Agreed.”

---

Meanwhile, in the first floating city—Star Track Corridor.

A rainy afternoon. Inside an ancient, weathered training ground.

Ainet stood bare-chested, legs planted in a deep horse stance, repeatedly throwing basic punches. Each strike cracked the air with a deep, compressed thud.

Huff.

His fist sliced through the air—just as the bamboo grove at the edge of the yard trembled. Leaves fluttered down in unison, as if brushed by an invisible hand—yet the bamboo stalks remained perfectly straight, unyielding.

Damp mist rose from the ground, but as it touched Ainet’s bronze skin, it vanished instantly in a hiss of white vapor.

His Stellar Energy, vast and immense—like it could tear open space—was contained within a mere inch of his body. Not a single scratch marred the wooden floor beneath him.

This was true mastery.

For the real terror wasn’t raw power, nor reckless force.

It was the ability to control the strength—rather than being controlled by it.

That was what defined a true master.

“President,”

A cool, clear voice broke the silence.

Before Ainet could even finish his next punch, a massive fist—swathed in crackling Stellar Energy—blasted toward the speaker’s face.

The air screamed.

Valentina didn’t blink.

Her expression remained calm. Unmoved.

The punch halted a mere inch from her nose. The force of it sent her long black hair whipping upward.

Behind her, the bamboo grove erupted into chaos—waves of tremors rippling through the trees, rainwater on the ground vibrating violently.

Yet Valentina stood untouched.

The attack had been meant only to intimidate.

Ainet lowered his fist, sweat dripping from the sharp line of his jaw.

“Still no reaction,” he said, unimpressed. “You never even flinch, Valentina.”

“Go ahead,” she said, lifting her tactical tablet. Her face glowed with the cold blue light of the screen. “I have something from Steam Capital. I think you’ll find it… interesting.”

Ainet’s eyes—once dull with age—flickered with sudden sharpness.

Ever since his pact with certain old allies fifty years ago, he’d remained motionless in this courtyard for half a century.

Peace had become routine.

Few things stirred him anymore.

But Valentina wouldn’t bring him something trivial.

He took the tablet. Studied it.

Moments later, his old eyes sparkled with rare interest.

She was right.

He was intrigued.

As the camera panned out, capturing the courtyard in wide view—what met the eye was utter devastation.

The yard looked as if hit by an eighth-level hurricane.

But even more astonishing was the sky above.

The thick clouds that once shrouded the training ground had been cleaved—split open in a perfect, straight cone.

The wound in the heavens?

None other than the aftermath of Ainet’s playful punch.

A mere gesture. A test.

Yet it had split the sky.

The might of the current strongest Stellar Envoy—now undeniable.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end